Secret Family
by a girl who likes hockey
Summary: It is Padme Desertwar's sixteenth birthday. Her guardian, Leia Organa, reveals family secrets that will impact the young woman's destiny.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This was my very first Star Wars fan fiction that I wrote. I am just now getting the time to post it. Hope you enjoy!**

Padme awoke to the aroma of breakfast cooking from downstairs. She slowly opened her baby blue eyes and sat up in her bed. She caressed her chestnut brown hair, and was annoyed to feel that it needed to be combed. She tossed her sheet to the side, and arose from the bed, a yawn escaping from her mouth. Although she was still sleepy, she was not going to go back to bed. This was a very important day for her.

"Padme, breakfast is ready!" she heard Leia Organa calling from the kitchen.

"Be there in a minute, Leia! I have to brush my crazy hair!" Padme responded, before she went to her bathroom to take care of her hair.

As Padme brushed her hair, she reminisced about her time with Leia. Leia was her guardian, as far back as she could remember. Padme never knew her parents. Leia always told her she loved Padme as if she was her own daughter. Padme wondered why Leia never had a family of her own. She concluded that it was because of her work in the rebellion against the Empire. Fighting against the Empire did not leave much time for a social life, much less a family. However, Leia made sure she found the time to spend with Padme.

"Padme, this breakfast is not going to be eaten by itself!" she heard Leia exclaim, in a tone that was half-teasing and half-frustrating.

"I'll be there in a minute!" Padme answered back. There was one lock of her curly hair that was very knotty, and the brush was not working to get it detangled.

"Let me try this," the girl whispered to herself. She closed her eyes ans slowly started to inhale and exhale. She cleared her mind and concentrated on that stubborn lock of hair. It took a few seconds for the lock of hair to become untangled. Padme smiled at herself at the use of the Force, as she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

"Finally!" Leia said, as she saw Padme enter. "I thought I was going to be eating by myself!"

"Sorry. I had one piece of hair that I had troubled detangling," Padme explained, as she sat at the kitchen table. Leia sat to the left of her and softly stroked the young woman's hair.

"I am sorry your birthday has gotten off on a bad start," Leia teased Padme, The girl was her life. Even though she could not spend as much with Padme as she wanted, Leia loved her with all of her heart. Everything that she did. from being part of the Rebellion to raising her on Tatooine, was for Padme.

"Well, the food has more than made up for the bad start," Padme lovingly responded. "Thank you, Leia, for being so good to me. Even though..." Her words suddenly stopped. She did not want to upset Leia.

"What is it, Padme?" the older woman asked, her face full of concern. She knew where the conversation would be heading, and since Padme was born, Leia had dreaded this moment. But it was time. Padme was sixteen, old enough to join the fight against the Empire. The girl had been begging to leave Tatooine for as long as she could remember. But Leia had always denied her. The Emperor, Darth Vader, maintained control of a good portion of the galaxy. Leia could not allow Padme to go anywhere near him.

"Even though I drive you crazy sometimes," Padme finally uttered.

"You are sixteen years old. You are suppose to drive me crazy." Leia lifted her hand and placed it under Padme's chin. She wanted to freeze this moment in time. For the time had come to tell Padme everything. Leia was afraid Padme would hate her after the truth was revealed, but the girl deserved to know the truth about her family.

"Come, let's go talk in the living room," Leia suggested. "C3PO!"

"Good morning, your highness," the golden protocol droid greeted Leia. Leia was no longer a princess, since her home world of Alderaan had been blown up by the first Death Star. But old habits were difficult for the droid to break.

"Can you please clean off the table and do the dishes?" Normally, this was one of Padme's chores, but Leia would let the droid do the housework when it was her birthday.

"Of course, and a happy birthday to Princess Padme. You are..." the droid continued, about to calculate the amount of minutes Padme had been alive.

"That's okay, C3PO. I already know," Padme said. lifting a hand to stop the droid from speaking further. She smiled as he went about cleaning up the kitchen.

The two women sat down in the living room. Padme was on the couch, while Leia was on the recliner. Strangely enough. Padme never saw her recline in the chair. Leia never got too relaxed, especially with the war raging on.

Padme played nervously with the hem of her nightgown, one of her birthday gifts from Leia last year. The girl's heat started to race. She had to ask the question again, hoping for a different answer this time.

"Leia?" she softly whispered. Padme lifted her head to make eye contact with her guardian. Leia's heart went out to the girl. She wanted to give Padme everything, but denied her the only thing the girl ever wanted.

"Padme, if you are about to ask if you can leave Tatooine, the answer is no."

"But why?" the girl cried out in frustration. The answer was always the same. Did Leia not trust her?" Did she think Padme would end up disappointing her if she left?

"It's time you knew the truth, Padme. About everything," Leia sternly said. She took a deep breath.

"What do you mean?" Padme was curious. She wanted to read Leia's mind, but she refused. For she kept her Force sensitivity a secret from her guardian. She was afraid of how Leia would react to the news.

"For years, you have asked me about your parents. It's time you knew the truth about them."

"My parents? I thought you said they were killed by the Emperor."

"Padme," Leia slowly said. "I lied. Your parents are alive."

Padme's eyes bulged in disbelief. Leia had been lying to her, all these years! She could feel the anger stir inside of her. But she refused to show it. Leia had the answers about her family, and lashing out at her would not help Padme get the answers she was looking.

"Breathe, Padme," she told herself, trying to calm down without using the Force. To Leia, she asked,

"If my parents are alive, then why are they not here with me?"

Leia's heart panged with compassion. She blamed herself for this, as well as Vader. For if he had been killed years ago, she would have never kept secrets from this precious girl she now sat next to on the couch.

"One of them is here with you," Leia softly mentioned. Padme had a confused look on her face. What did Leia mean by this? She grabbed Padme's hands, and the girl looked up at her.

"I don't understand. Is it one of the guards outside?" Padme innocently asked.

"No, sweetheart," Leia replied, her hand touching Padme's cheek. She gazed lovingly at the girl and confessed,

"I am your mother."


	2. Chapter 2

It took a moment for Padme to react to the news. She had always dreamt of Leia being her mother, but to be told that in reality... She tried to calm herself by breathing.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Padme questioned her mother, as she rose from the couch and walked a few feet away. She had her back facing Leia, who also stood but did not approach her.

"Because I had to keep you a secret," Leia started to explain.

"Why?" Padme quickly turned around, her anger starting to rise. "I thought you loved me!"

"Of course, I love you! That's the reason why I had to keep your existence a secret. Padme, if the Empire... if the Emperor knew about you, there would be nothing he would not do to get his hands on you."

"If you weren't one of the leaders in the Rebellion, Leia, then the Emperor would not care about finding me."

"If that were only true, then I would have told you everything from the beginning. But there's more."

"More? What do you mean?" Padme asked, not sure if she wanted to know. The truth that Leia was her mother was a lot for her to bear at the moment. But she knew deep in her heart she wanted to know everything that Leia had been keeping secret from her.

"Padme, when you were born, I had the doctor give you a special test. You just finished learning about it from your science instructor."

"A midichlorian test," Padme guessed correctly. A shiver went down her spine. She knew why the test was given. In history, she had learned that the test was given to people who were suspected to be Force sensitive.

"I know you are Force sensitive," Leia told her. Relief filled Padme's lungs. At last, her secret was out, and she could now exercise her Force abilities freely. "I am sorry if I ever made you feel you had to hide it."

"I thought you would reject me, thinking I was weird..." Padme uttered, a tear rolling down her face.

"Never. I'm also Force sensitive. Because of the test results, I had to keep you a secret." Leia wiped the tears away from Padme's face.

"What is my midchlorian count?"

"Padme, you shouldn't ask..."

"Leia, please! I need to know!" The girl clenched her fist. Leia knew she wouldn't stop asking, so she took a breath and said,

"Your midichlorian count is 13,500."

At first, Padme thought she heard Leia wrong. So she asked her to repeat the number. Leia repeated the number, 13,500.

Padme had to sit down after hearing this. This was a shock. She knew she was Force sensitive, but not to this extent! Although she dreaded asking the question, she had to know.

"Who has a higher midichlorian count than me?" Leia sat down next to her daughter and replied,

"There are only three people alive in the galaxy that have a higher count than you. I am one of them." Padme smiled at that news, but frowned when Leia continued.

"The other two people are Luke Skywalker and Emperor Vader. Padme, when I found out the results, I was frightened. You know what happens to Force sensitive children if the Empire finds them."

The girl nodded. Force sensitive children were either trained to be Inquisitors, enrolled in the Imperial navy, or put to death if they refused to join the Empire.

Padme was overwhelmed with all that Leia was telling her. She was mad. Mad that Leia did not trust her enough to keep these secrets.

"I know you are upset..." Leia began to say. Padme abruptly rose from the couch.

"Upset does not even begin to describe how I feel. Leia!" she snapped back. Her anger now began to surface.

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady!" Leia was frustrated. Why couldn't her daughter understand why she was in danger if her existence was known to the galaxy?

"You should have told me the truth from the beginning!"

"You would not have understood. You are old enough now to see the evil the Empire causes. Padme, if the Emperor knew about you..."

"Enough! You lied to me, all these years! I thought my parents were dead! Now you tell me I am your daughter. How do I know you are not lying to me now?"

"I'm not lying. I promise you. Please calm down. I love you."

"You have a funny way of showing it..."

"Watch your mouth, young lady! Everything that I kept secret from you was for your own protection!"

Padme was tired about hearing how Leia had to protect her. She decided to ask another question.

"I have a question. If you are my mother, then who is my father? Is he alive? Does he even know about me?" the girl asked.

"Your father's name is Han Solo," Leia confessed, smiling at the memory of her former love.

"Han Solo? The Han Solo who made the Kessel Run in 14 parsecs?" Padme gasped.

"12 parsecs," Leia replied, knowing if Han was there, he would correct Padme.

"Who cares! Han Solo is my father?" It took all of Padme's strength to not fall to her knees in shock.

"Yes, he is." Leia tried to pull her daughter in an embrace, but the young woman refused her mother's arms.

"Some father he is. Doesn't even care to visit his own daughter..." Padme said before pausing. She could hear Leia softly cry.

"Padme, when I said I had to keep you a secret, I meant that I had to keep you a secret from everyone."

Padme did not understand. What was Leia trying to say?

"So my father doesn't know about me?"

"He knew about you...:"

"What does that even mean? You're confusing me..."

"I told him you had died! I had to, to keep you and him safe."

"I can't believe this!" Padme exclaimed, her hand resting on the side of her head. "So you lied to Han, as well! Who else did you lie to Leia, besides..."

The words suddenly failed Padme. She felt a powerful Force presence, and it was heading to their home!

"Oh no! It can't be!" Padme thought to herself in terror. But the more she denied it, the stronger the Force presence was.

"Vader!" the girl cried out, her body trembling in fear.


	3. Chapter 3

Leia had a shocked look on her face. Did Padme figure out all her secrets?

"What about Vader?' she bravely asked her daughter.

"He is coming here!" Padme uttered, the blush of anger fading quickly to paleness.

"Are you sure? Padme, I know what I said is scary, but Vader..."

"He is coming, along with a bunch of Stormtroopers," Padme insisted. The look on her daughter's face gave Leia the proof she needed.

"Go to your room and lock the door. Your grandfather's lightsaber is in a wooden box on the top shelf of the closet. As soon as you grab it, escape out of the window. Run Padme, and don't look back!" Leia instructed.

Padme immediately did as Leia said, rushing up the stairs to her bedroom. She ran to the closet and quickly grabbed the wooden box. She slipped some shoes on and was about to go out the window, but froze in place.

She looked down and saw Stormtroopers surround their home. There was no way Padme could escape now. She forced herself away from the window and stood next to her locked door.

"It's too late," Padme moaned, tears streaking down her face. "We are going to die!"

She stared at the wooden box she held in her hands. Carefully, she opened the box and grabbed the lightsaber. This was her grandfather's weapon, the weapon of a Jedi. All Padme knew about her grandfather was that he died around the time Order 66 was executed.

Padme would have wondered more about what little she knew about her grandfather, if she had not heard a gentle male voice speak to her mind.

"Padme, do not be afraid. The Force is strong with you." Her eyes widened in shock.

"Who are you? And how can you tell me to not be afraid? Do you know..." Padme argued with the strange voice.

"Yes, I know. Vader is downstairs with your mother, as we speak. Padme, your new life begins now."

"So I am going to die," she softly whispered, not wanting anyone to hear.

"No, my child. You will live, and your mother will live as well."

"But how?"

"You must go where your mother does not want you to go. But it is part of your destiny. Do not be afraid, the Force is with you."

The voice vanished, and Padme trembled. Even if she was not Force sensitive, she knew exactly what the voice was telling her. She was about to calm herself with her breathing, but stopped when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Stormtroopers!" she hissed in disgust. Were they about to go into her room and grab her? But then she quickly focused herself in the Force.

"Tell your Emperor there is no one upstairs. You have looked in all the rooms, and they are empty," she uttered, loud enough so that the Stormtroopers could hear. Padme waited tensely, then breathed the biggest sigh of relief when the troops walked downstairs. Padme slowly opened her door to hear what they would say.

"Emperor, we have looked in all the rooms. No one is upstairs," she heard one of them tell Vader.

Padme would have been jumping for joy, if not for the current situation. She had just performed a Jedi mind trick! The voice that spoke to her earlier was right. She was strong in the Force.

"Stay upstairs. He is still here," she heard Leia speak to her mind. Padme's heart sank. Of course, Vader would not believe in his own troops!

Then she heard another voice, the voice that came in her nightmares, mechanical and breathing heavy. He knew Padme was upstairs, and called out to her in a loud voice,

"If you do not come downstairs, she will die!"

Padme shivered in fear. The male voice that spoke to her earlier said,

"Go downstairs. Stop resisting, Padme. Do as the Emperor says. Trust in the Force."

With all her courage, and against her better judgment, Padme took the lightsaber and made her way downstairs. She turned the weapon on. It gleamed a bright blue color. She would have felt like a warrior, if it wasn't for the fact she was about to encounter the most feared man in the galaxy.

Padme stepped into the living room, and gasped. Her mother was tied up in the recliner, and Stormtroopers had their blasters aimed at her. Padme scanned the room, but she did not see Vader. She gripped the lightsaber tightly with both hands.

"Let her go!" Padme bravely growled at the troops. The Stormtroopers turned and pointed their weapons in the girl's direction.

"No!" Leia screamed in terror. Padme took deep breaths, anticipating the need to deflect blaster shots. She prepared herself for what would have her death and Leia's. At least she would take out a few Stormtroopers with her.

"No, this is not right, what I am about to do," Padme thought to herself. "The voice said to stop resisting." She knew what she had to do. She turned off the lightsaber.

As soon as she did that, Padme felt a gloved hand on her shoulder. She saw her captor's arm extend out, freezing the blaster bolts that were coming in her direction. Her eyes widened. She was this close to death, and the person that stopped the shots from striking her was none other than Vader himself. In amazement, she saw the bolts vaporize into the air. The Stormtroopers looked confused, still pointing their weapons in her direction.

"Hold your fire! She is not to be harmed!" Vader menacing voice screamed at them. This caused the troops to step back in fear, and Padme to quiver.


	4. Chapter 4

The Emperor came around to face the girl. Padme had no choice but to look up to Vader. She was tall for her age, but she felt tiny in comparison to him. She had nightmares about him, but even her worst dreams did not accurately portray the strength of his presence. It must have been the Force that gave Padme the courage to not look away from Vader's mask.

"Impressive. Most impressive," he said to the girl. He turned his attention from Padme and walked over to Leia. She was shaking with fear, because her worst nightmare was coming true.

"You still haven't changed, Leia. After all these years, you are still lying. Did you really think you could hide this girl from me?" he growled angrily.

Padme was surprised that Leia would have the courage to lie to Vader about anything. But it showed how committed her mother was to fighting against the Empire.

Vader raised his arm, as Leia was about to protest. He already knew what she was going to say, and wanted to silence her. But it was a test, to see how the girl would react.

From Padme's point of view, it looked like Vader was about to Force choke Leia to death. She was still angry at her, for keeping all these secrets from her. But now her rage was directed at Vader.

Padme raised her arms, holding the lightsaber. She ran in his direction. Vader spun around and extended his arm in her direction. Padme was frozen in place, her arms above her head. She was not able to lower them to strike Vader. She glared angrily at him.

He slowly approached the girl, and grabbed the lightsaber from her hands, and turned it off. She was unfrozen, and fell to her knees. This was it. She had failed. She and Leia were going to die. She waited for his lightsaber to be ignited and thrusted into her body.

But the death blow never came. Instead, Vader said in a calm but menacing voice,

"I was silencing her, not Force choking her."

How Padme got up the courage to speak to him, especially down on her knees, she did not know. She stared up at Vader and replied,

"It looked like a Force choke to me." She could not see it, but Vader grinned underneath his mask.

"Rise to your feet, child," he commanded. Padme slowly stood up. She tried her best to remain calm, and to not look away from Vader. But she did for a brief moment, to glance at her grandfather's lightsaber, now in Vader's hand. This caused the Emperor to examine the weapon. The lightsaber was very familiar to him. He had not seen it since he cut Luke's hand off in Cloud City.

"Vader, please!" Leia begged, desperately trying to escape the ropes that held her down. The tears fell down her face. She was afraid for herself and for her daughter. Everything was about to be revealed, in the worst possible way.

Padme heard again the male voice speak to her mind.

"Stop resisting. Do not be afraid. If you do not do what Vader says, he will harm Leia. Trust in the Force, Padme."

The voice was right. Padme had not listened, and it got her nowhere. But she would listen now, even if it meant she and Leia would die.

"How did you get this lightsaber, child?" Vader questioned her, his tone more curious than threatening. "Are you a Jedi?"

"No," Padme softly whispered. "It was a gift given to me a few years ago, for my birthday."

"Please leave her alone!" Leia cried out. Vader turned around and yelled at her to be quiet.

He focused his attention back on Padme. Did Leia tell her who the lightsaber belonged to? He knew.

"Did Leia give you the lightsaber?" Vader asked. Padme couldn't help but shake in fear as he walked around her.

"Yes, she did."

"Did she tell you how she got the lightsaber?"

"You know how I got the lightsaber, Vader," Leia growled angrily at him. He spun around to face her.

"Silence! I am not talking to you. I can't believe a word that comes out of your mouth!" Vader hissed in disgust. He turned around and motioned for Padme to speak.

"No, I do not know how Leia got the lightsaber," Padme answered honestly. She was not sure why Vader was asking her about the lightsaber.

"Do you know who owned the lightsaber?" he further questioned her.

"You don't have to answer him," Leia spoke to Padme's mind.

"I told you be quiet!" Padme heard Vader reply back to Leia's thought. "Stop interrupting, otherwise I will knock you unconscious!"

Padme was tempted to speak in Leia's defense, but she refrained. She did not want to incur Vader's wrath any more than she already had. She took a deep breath and said,

"She told me the lightsaber belonged to my grandfather." Vader did not respond, so she added, "She said he died during Order 66."

Padme tried to read Vader's mind, but was unsuccessful. He turned to face Leia, who was so fearful, she could not even speak. He was tempted to tell the girl the truth, that it was his lightsaber.

"Do you know who your grandfather is, child?"

"I do not," Padme softly confessed. If she only had more information from her mother! But Leia was too terrified to say anything, even via the Force, because Vader would know the truth immediately.

"Such a shame. Everyone should know about their family. Don't you agree, Leia?" Vader snarled at her.

"Vader, please..." she moaned. But he ignored the pleas that came from her lips, and drew closer to Padme.

"Tell me about your family. Do you have a mother, father, siblings?"

Padme was confused as to why Vader would want to know about her family. Did he know the truth about her parentage? Or was this his way of torturing her and Leia?

But the Force was flowing strongly in her. She remembered the words of the male voice. Stop resisting, trust the Force. Then the voice spoke to her again.

"Padme, tell Vader the truth whatever he asks of you."

"Are you crazy?" she responded back to the voice in her mind. Vader tilted his head. The girl was communicating to someone else, a presence not in the room.

"Who are you talking to?" Vader demanded to know. "Tell me!" His voice was so fierce, Padme's knees shook.

"It will be all right, child. Tell Vader that you are speaking to Obi Wan Kenobi," the kind voice told her.


	5. Chapter 5

Padme was relieved to finally know the name of the man speaking to her mind. But she was scared to tell Vader, because she feared what his reaction would be.

"I am speaking to Obi Wan Kenobi," she finally managed to say. To her surprise, instead of being angry, Vader took a step back.

"Do you know what happened to Obi Wan Kenobi?" Vader asked, not sure if the girl knew.

"Yes. You killed him on the First Death Star."

At this point, Leia's strength gave away, and she passed out.

"Leia!" Padme cried out. She tried to go to her, but she was restrained by Vader.

"Let me go!" the girl screamed, full of worry. She did not understand why Obi Wan Kenobi was speaking to her, or why Vader was asking her all these questions.

"Leave us!" Vader commanded his Stormtroopers. They walked outside. Apparently the Emperor wanted privacy with the girl, and the troops knew better than to question him.

The fear and anger began to rise in Vader. How dare Obi Wan interfere here! After the suffering Kenobi put him through, he had the nerve to speak to this girl!

He roughly let go of Padme, and told her, raising a finger to her direction,

"If you think a dead Jedi is going to protect you, think again!"

She was tempted to swat his finger away, but she didn't.

"Tell him to leave you alone. He cannot help you," the Emperor added. Padme sensed a change in Vader. She sensed fear. Bur why?

"But you can help him, Padme," Obi Wan assured her. "Tell him you just found out the truth about your family today."

How could anything that she would say to Vader help him? She did not understand. But there was no going back now. She would have to tell him the truth, and beg him to set Leia free.

"Well?" Vader growled. "What does the great Obi Wan have to say?"

"He said to tell you that I only found out about my family today," the girl confessed.

"Why would you only find out about your family today?"

Padme wished Vader would stop talking, and either take her prisoner or kill her. She swallowed her throat and replied,

"Leia was afraid you would find out about me. She told me what you do to Force Sensitive children. She did it to protect me."

"I see," Vader responded, as he lowered his hand towards her face.

"Don't mind probe me!" Padme screamed, surprised that she dare say that out loud to Vader. He was surprised that she knew about the mind probe. This girl was definitely special, but why?

"Padme, listen carefully. Tell Vader to let Leia go, and that I will tell you to tell him who your family is," Obi Wan instructed the girl. "He will take you as his prisoner, but he will not harm you."

"Do you know who he is?" Padme replied incredulously back to Obi Wan.

"I have known Vader longer than you have been alive. Go ahead, tell him what I said."

"Please let Leia go!" Padme begged for mercy. Vader was not moved by her plea.

"She is my enemy. She needs to be punished for her crimes against the Empire," he curtly told her. She did not want to speak the words. But she had no choice. She closed her eyes, and said as she trembled,

"Obi Wan said that he would tell me who my family is, if you let her go. He said you would take me as a prisoner, but that you would not harm me."

Vader started pacing back and forth. He was definitely intrigued by this girl. He sensed she cared deeply for Leia, enough to be his prisoner. As much as he was angry at Leia for keeping this girl from her true potential, he could not harm his only daughter.

"Did he? Tell the old man I will let Leia go, on one condition," Vader threatened. "You need to tell me your name, child."

"Go ahead, Padme. Tell him your name. It is better for him to know now, rather than pulling it out of your mind," Obi Wan encouraged her.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered all the courage she could muster. She stared straight up at Vader and said,

"My name is Padme Shmi Desertwar."

Vader took a couple of steps back. To hear those two names coming from the girl's lips, it was too much for him to handle. He marched to the front door and opened it. He motioned for two Stormtroopers to come inside.

"Stay with Leia Organa until she wakes up. Tell her Padme is with me, and to not try to find us," he barked at them. He faced Padme and said,

"You need to go upstairs and get dressed. You will be my prisoner. Do not try to escape!"

Padme nodded in agreement. She dashed up the stairs to her bedroom. She closed the door and started to weep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Why is this happening?" Padme moaned in despair, as she put on her favorite dress. It was a royal blue dress with silver stars stitched in it. She put on her silver flats, and put on the locket Leia had given her for her thirteenth birthday. The locket had the pictures of the women Padme was named after. She did not know how Leia knew them.

"You and Vader will understand very soon," Obi Wan told her.

"I wish you weren't dead," Padme responded, as she went back downstairs.

"Jedi don't die. They live on in the Force."

She approached Vader. He noticed the locket around her neck.

"What is that necklace around your neck? You were not wearing it earlier," he demanded to know.

"This was another gift from Leia, for my birthday three years ago," Padme confessed, her nervousness at a all time high.

"Give it to me." Padme took her trembling hands and unclasped the locket. She reluctantly gave it to Vader. As he looked at the locket, Obi Wan said,

"Vader will ask you where Leia got the locket from. Tell him her adoptive father Bail Organa gave it to her."

Vader did ask about the origin of the locket, and Padme told him Leia got it from Bail Organa. Vader was puzzled. This girl had both his lightsaber, and the locket with his wife and mother's pictures in it? But why would Leia give this girl these things, especially from a man he considered dead to him?

"Did she tell you who the two people were in the locket?" Vader continued to question Padme.

"No. Who are they?" Padme asked, curious herself.

"I will ask the questions, child!" Vader grunted in frustration.

"Padme, I will tell you who they are," Obi Wan said to the girl. "One of them is Padme Amidala. She was your mother's biological mother, and a close friend of mine."

Padme knew about her namesake. In history, she learned that she was the queen, then senator, of Naboo. She was shocked at the news that she was Leia's mother.

"The other woman is Shmi Skywalker, your grandfather's mother," Obi continued to explain. "The necklace was given to your grandmother by your grandfather, Anikin Skywalker."

When she heard the name Anikin Skywalker, Padme dropped to her knees. No, it couldn't be true! Leia was the daughter of Senator Padme Amidala and Jedi Knight Anikin Skywalker? If this was true, that meant Padme was their granddaughter...

"Get up, child!" Vader yelled, forcing Padme off of the floor. He held a tight grip on her. Padme was terrified. She felt she was going to die. She shook in fear. She had heard of Vader's hatred for the Jedi.

"My name is Padme," she managed to whisper.

"I know your name. Why were you given that name? Obi Wan, if you do not tell her to tell me now, I swear..."

He pulled Padme towards the couch. She had neither the strength nor the will to resist him. She could barely stand, a little grateful that Vader had a strong grip on her.

The Force flowed in her, and she blurted out,

"Leia named me after the two loves of her biological father's life. His name was Anikin Skywalker!"

That was the last thing Padme said before passing out in Vader's arms. He held the girl, and reflected on what she had said. She said that name, the name that he had not heard since he tried to turn Luke to the Dark side.

Vader carefully laid Padme on the couch. She was only a teenager, but very powerful in the Force. But she was more than a powerful Force user. She was his granddaughter, his feelings were telling him.

He glared angrily at Leia, who was still unconscious. How dare she keep this a secret, especially after how finding out about her father affected her? He thought about waking her up and strangling her to death, to punish her.

Vader turned his attention back to Padme. He needed proof that what the girl said was true. Not that she would purposely lie, but Leia and Obi Wan, on the other hand...

He called his troops back inside the house, and told them,

"Take the girl to my ship. I will deal with her there. If she wakes up, make sure she eats and drinks. If any of you harm her, you will wish you would never have been born!"

Padme was carried outside of the house. Vader walked into the kitchen. He was furious at Leia. He took out his lightsaber, and began to destroy the room. Red sparks flew as he demolished the furnishings.

Afterwards, he calmed himself down using the Force. He stepped out of the kitchen, and saw the two Stormtroopers still guarding Leia.

"One more thing," Vader grunted, as he made his way out of the living room. "Tell the princess when she wakes up that I know Padme is her daughter!" He stormed angrily out of the home, refusing to look back.

As he joined the rest of his troops and his unconscious prisoner, Vader meditated on all that had happened. He wondered why in the galaxy, of all people, Obi Wan Kenobi, would help tell Padme that her grandfather was Anikin Skywalker.

"No, Obi Wan," Vader thought to himself. "Now your failure is truly complete. She will realize that I am her grandfather. Anikin Skywalker is dead, and he is never coming back!"

The Emperor and his troops boarded the Star Destroyer. The unconscious Padme was placed in a holding cell, just underneath the front end of the ship. Vader left instructions to have her cell door left open, with one Stormtrooper to guard her. This was another test, to see what the girl would do. At the last moment, he decided to leave the lightsaber of Anikin Skywalker near her, to give her a fleeting chance when she tries to escape.


	7. Chapter 7

A few moments later, Padme stirred awake. At first, she did not know where she was. But then the memories flooded her mind. Leia was her mother. Han Solo, her father. Padme Amidala, her mother's mother. Shmi Skywalker, her grandfather's mother. Anikin Skywalker, her grandfather.

"Oh Leia, why did you not tell me sooner?" Padme thought to herself, as she sat up in the bed. She was in a holding cell. She looked around and saw that the door was open, and that her grandfather's lightsaber was nearby.

"No. This is a trap by Vader. If I run out with the lightsaber, and try to escape, he will kill me!"

Her thoughts were interrupted when the lone Stormtrooper guarding her came into her cell. He closed the door behind him. He slowly approached Padme. She sensed something strange about the guard. She quickly read his mind and saw...

"What is a pretty young thing like you doing here on the Destroyer?" the soldier asked, his blaster pointed at Padme.

"No!" she barked at him. She extended her hand and the lightsaber came to her.

"You would try to kill me?" Padme knew his intentions towards her, even if he had not been eyeing her up and down.

"I know what you want to do to me!" Padme screamed at him.

"What are you going to do about it? Try to escape? If you try, the Emperor will catch you and put you immediately to death. Now put down the lightsaber, and I will show you a good time."

"No!" Padme yelled, as she knocked the trooper's blaster out of his hand, and Force pushed him to the floor. She ran out of the cell, and he chased her, screaming many obscenities at her.

The chase lasted only a minute, as Padme found herself trapped in a corner, with no way out. She turned around and saw the Stormtrooper stalk towards her. She bravely turned on the lightsaber, anticipating that he would shoot her.

"It's too bad," the Stormtrooper said, as he drew closer to the girl. "I would have blown your mind in bed. But now I guess I will have to...blown you mind."

Padme shook in terror as he aimed his blaster at her. She prepared herself for his attack, but was stunned when she saw his weapon fly backwards and out of his hands.

"What in the world..." the soldier uttered in disbelief, as he turned around. He saw where his blaster was, and trembled. It was being held in the Emperor's hands!

"Emperor! I'm glad you found us!" the Stormtrooper said, as Vader approached him. "This prisoner tried to escape. She threatened me with the lightsaber."

Padme's eyes bulged. How could she explain what the Stroomtrooper tried to do to her? Especially when all he did was talk and aim a blaster at her? She tried to calm herself in the Force, but she could feel Vader's anger. Oh no, this was it. She was going to die.

"Everything you have said is true," Vader growled, quickly glancing at Padme. She shook her head in fear. To her amazement, she saw Vader grab the soldier by the neck.

"However, the girl was not running to escape the ship, was she?" Vader hissed angrily, as he tightened the grip. Padme gasped when she saw the soldier collapse to the floor, dead.

A group of Stormtroopers came near Vader. He turned to face them, his anger still flowing through his veins.

"Here is the rogue soldier. He will not be harming any more prisoners," Vader explained. "Strip him of his armor. When we fly over the Sarlacc Pit, throw his body in it!"

The dead Stormtrooper was dragged away. Padme turned off her lightsaber and slumped to the floor. Her head was between her knees. She could not take it anymore. She tried to calm herself down. But the more she tried, the more the tears came down her face.

"Padme," she heard Vader call her name. She looked up and saw him kneeling before her. She prepared herself to die by his hands. But his hands did not go to her neck. Instead, they went to her face. She stared as he gently wiped her tears away, until she stopped crying.

"I did not know it was him," Vader said, as he held Padme's face in his hand. "Did he..."

"No," Padme responded, surprised by his concern. "But he wanted to. I could see it in his mind, even before he spoke."

"He hurt a lot of the prisoners we seized. Some were so traumatized, they..." His voice trailed off, not wanting to scare her any further.

"Come with me," he said, as he rose to his feet. "I suspect you have never left the planet. Come, you get to see what the galaxy looks like."

Then to Padme's shock, Vader offered his hand to her. She reluctantly took it, and he helped her stand to her feet. With his other hand, he took the lightsaber from her. He let her go, and motioned for her to follow him. Padme had no words to say, but Vader knew her thoughts. As they approached the main area of the ship, he said to her,

"You're welcome."

Padme could only shake her head. This was truly becoming one of the more memorable birthdays of her life. She marveled at all the activity that was going on, Vader led her to a big window, with a ledge to lean on.

"Hold onto the ledge," he commanded her. "We are about to take off." He gave the order to his crew to lift off. Padme held on tight as she felt the Star Destroyer lift off of the ground.

Vader walked away. He wanted to give Padme privacy. He suspected she was trying to contact her mother via the Force. Which she did.

"Leia?" Padme called out in her mind, as the ship began to sail in the skies over Tatooine.

"Padem!" Leia responded joyfully. "Thank the Maker you are alive! Did Vader hurt you?"

"No, I am fine. He just protected me from a Stormtrooper. He tried to..." Padme stopped, realizing she would scare her mother further if she told her what the soldier tried to do to her.

"But I'm okay. Vader took care of him," she added.

"Padme, by very careful with Vader. He cannot be trusted."

"At least he hasn't lied to me!" Padme snapped, remembering the reason why she was Vader's prisoner. She immediately regretted lashing out at Leia, and apologized.

"I'm sorry too, sweetheart. You are right. I should have told you the truth earlier," Leia wistfully admitted.

"Leia, it's beautiful!" Padme exclaimed in delight.

"What is beautiful?"

"Being out in space." Padme gazed as Tatooine slowly faded from her view. But then her heart was saddened, and she said,

"I wish you were here with me to see it." The tears rolled down Padme's face.

"Don't cry, sweetheart. We will see each other again, I promise."

"You can't make that promise, Leia. Vader is not going to let me go without a fight."

"I know. But I will not stop until you are back in my arms, Padme Shmi. I love you. May the Force be with you."

Just like that, her mother's voice was gone. Padme took a moment to relax. She did not understand why this was happening to her.


	8. Chapter 8

"Come," Padme heard Vader say, as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I need to take you to the medical ward."

"Medical ward?" she repeated, her eyes full of concern. "But the Stormtrooper did not hurt me!"

"You need to take a couple of simple tests. Afterwards, I will take you to my private quarters, to eat and to rest."

Vader sensed the panic in Padme. Why was her face pale? Was she sick?

"What kind of tests?" the girl barely managed to say.

"DNA & midichlorian tests," Vader responded matter of factly. He saw Padme take a step back.

"Don't run, Padme. There is nothing to fear..." But she disagreed. and started running. But she only got a few feet away before she was frozen in place.

"Please! I can't!" Padme begged. Vader approached the girl. He knew she would run again. He unfroze her, then threw her up on his shoulders.

"Put me down!" Padme cried, trying unsuccessfully to escape.

"If you act like a child, you will be treated like a child," Vader scolded her, as he carried her away.

"You tried to kill my Stormtroopers, you tried to kill me, and yet you are afraid of the doctor?" he berated her as they entered the medical ward. Padme pounded on his armor, but was forced to stop when he placed her on the medical bed. A doctor approached the bedside. Padme's eyes widened in horror. He held the needle in his hand for the midichlorian test.

"Please don't!" Padme pleaded with Vader. "I know my midichlorian count. Please!"

"Why are you afraid? I know you are Force sensitive..."

"I'm not afraid of the results! Please Emperor! Don't make me do this!"

Padme would have continued to scream, but her voice stopped. She saw Vader's hand drew near, until it was touching her face.

"You are leaving me no choice here," Vader explained gruffly.

"Go ahead with the mind probe. Anything is better than the needle," Padme grunted, now in discomfort as she felt her mind being searched.

"Why are you afraid..." Vader said out loud, before quickly finding the answer. The Sand People! His stomach turned. He knew the atrocities they committed against Shmi Skywalker. He saw Padme as a scared five year old. She had been taken hostage by them, and they used a needle to subdue her.

"Please, please..." was the amongst the many things Padme moaned. The memory of what happened to her at five kept playing repeatedly in her mind. She felt just as scared now as she was back then.

"Doctor, there is no need for the midichlorian test. Her count is 13,500," Vader told the doctor.

"Wow, that is a high midichlorian count!" the doctor exclaimed. "I will note it on her chart." Padme started to calm down as Vader gently removed the mind probe.

"Sit up, miss," the doctor instructed Padme. He had a Q-tip in his hand. "Open your mouth, so that I can get your DNA sample."

Padme did as the doctor said. Her mouth was swabbed, and the doctor took the sample over to his work station.

"When will the results be ready?" Vader asked, trying to hide the anxiety he felt. If Padme was his granddaughter, he wanted to know immediately.

"Tomorrow, Emperor, due to the multiple DNA tests you requested," the doctor replied.

"Doctor, for your sake, they better only take twenty four hours." The doctor nodded and went to attend to his duties.

Vader looked at Padme and said,

"Come, you need to rest. You are too stressed out." She gladly jumped off the bed. She was happy that she did not have to take the midichlorian test, but then hung her head low. Padme just revealed her weakness, and she knew Vader would use it against her.

They entered Vader's quarters. There was a couch big enough to sleep on, some chairs around the room, a library and a table with a big screen TV on it. Padme noticed a big circular dome in the room.

"What is that?" she asked, immediately regretting her tactlessness. Thankfully, the Emperor did not take offense.

"That is where I meditate and sleep," he explained. "Due to my injuries, I cannot sleep in a bed like most people."

"Oh. So that's why there's no bed in here, just the couch."

"Yes. Which is yours. Due to the actions of the dead Stormtrooper, I cannot trust anyone with you. So you will stay here with me. I am going to meet with them, to remind them the protocols of how to handle prisoners."

"Rest, Padme. You have had a long day," he added, pointing to the couch. As much as she wanted to protest, the events of the day drained Padme. She laid down on the comfy couch. She wanted to say something to Vader, but her eyes closed before she could speak. He grabbed a blanket and laid it on top of the sleeping girl.

He walked out, and met with his crew about the incident earlier. The meeting was not long, and after a quick trip to the main area of the ship, Vader decided to retire to his room.

He quietly entered, so as to not wake up Padme. He chuckled to himself, about how careful he was being, to not wake up a prisoner. But she was not just a prisoner. She could be his granddaughter.

It was time for Vader to meditate. He stepped into the meditation chamber, and sat as the top closed down on him. He would need to get into the bacta tank once they reached Mustafar. But for now, he was content with his helmet being removed, along with the rest of his armor. Some relief came, but the pain never went away.

How could it? Vader had lost everything when Anikin Skywalker died. Even though years later, he would met Luke and Leia, his children. He did love them, as much as a Dark Lord of the Sith could. He even killed his master, Emperor Sidious, to save Luke. But Luke refused to join him in ruling over the galaxy. As did Leia, who never forgave him for the torture he put her through.

It angered Vader. He just wanted his children to rule the galaxy with him. But they wanted peace, democracy and freedom to choose how to live their own lives. He was furious, especially at Leia, for hiding Padme. During the mind probe, he saw the entire argument between the two. Han Solo thought his daughter was dead, and Leia did not even mention Luke to Padme!

His anger shifted from his family to Obi Wan. Where was he when Padme was threatened by the Stormtrooper? Then the thought occurred to Vader. Just like he tested Padme, to see if she would try to escape, Obi Wan tested him. The fury began to coarse through his veins. Obi Wan was the reason why he spend his days and nights in physical, mental and emotional anguish. He knew Obi Wan had lied to Luke about Luke's father being murdered by Darth Vader. He could not understand why Luke forgave and even loved Obi Wan, and yet would not even consider ruling the galaxy with his own father. Vader killed his former master, destroying him and his power. Or so he thought, until today.

Obi Wan could speak to Padme, but he had no power to free her. She was still Vader's prisoner. If the DNA test showed that she was his granddaughter, Padme was his. As Emperor, he was allowed to detain anyone he wished, without giving any reason or explanation. Sure, he knew Leia would come and try to rescue her daughter. She may even get Han Solo or Luke to help her. But Vader vowed to himself,

"If Padme is my granddaughter, no one will take her away from me. I will not lose another member of my family! Especially to you, Obi Wan. She will see in time that her destiny lies with me. I will use her greatness weakness against her, and she will remain at my side. We will rule the galaxy together!"


	9. Chapter 9

His meditation time was over. Vader's helmet and legs were put back on his body. The top of the chamber opened up, and he stepped out. He knew what he had to do to make Padme his. He needed to deal with the Obi Wan problem.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on Vader's door. The sound woke Padme up from her nap. She looked up and saw Vader bring a tray of food in her direction.

"Pull up a chair to the table and eat," he told her as he placed the tray on the table. She did as he commanded, her stomach growling. Because of the incident with the Stormtrooper, she did not have lunch.

Padme looked at the food, then giggled to herself when she saw a slice of chocolate cake. It looked too good to not have a bite of it first before her food. She took her fork and was about to take a piece, but the cake and the plate it was on floated away. She turned around and saw Vader in possession of it.

"Eat your dinner first. Then you can have cake," the Emperor told the girl. Padme scowled at him.

"You sound just like Leia," she thought to herself, before putting her fork in her food.

"Please do not compare me to her." Padme dropped her fork in shock.

"Why are you surprised, Padme?" Vader quizzed her. "I am Emperor of the entire galaxy. But I was young once like you. My mother did teach me manners, And she taught me dessert comes after dinner."

"Fine." Padme surrendered, grateful for being able to eat dinner.

As she ate, Vader wondered how to start talking to her about Obi Wan. The girl had to stop speaking to him, but Vader could not threaten a Force ghost. He could threaten Padme, but this was not the time to have her quake in fear of him.

"You can your birthday cake after you finish your food," he added, levitating the plate so that it floated a couple of inches from his hand.

Padme dropped her fork again. How did Vader know it was her birthday?

"How did you know it was my birthday? Did you find out when you probed my mind?" she questioned him. What other memories could he have pulled out of her head?

"No. You screamed this is the worst birthday ever when you were in the medical ward," Vader replied, a smile hidden from Padme.

"I did? Oh. I was scared!"

"Obviously. But you should not be scared of needles. Not from a doctor, anyway."

Padme resumed eating her dinner. She wondered what her mother was doing. Had she escaped the house? Did she contact Han Solo or anyone else in the Rebellion to help rescue her? Padme worried for their safety. She did not want anyone to die trying to rescue her.

She finished her dinner, and Padme saw the plate with the cake on it float back to her. She took a bite of it, and it was delicious! It wasn't as good as Leia's cakes, but she could see why people would want to join the Empire!

"Emperor, may I ask you a question?" the girl asked, before having the last bite of her cake.

"When we are alone, you may call me Lord Vader," he smoothly said. Padme was unsure of what to make of what he said, but she continued anyway.

"Lord Vader, why is it that you hate Obi Wan Kenobi so much?"

An evil grin came upon Vader's face. This was the perfect opportunity to deal with the Obi Wan problem.

"Remember I told you I had injuries that requited I sleep in this meditation chamber?" Padme nodded her head. "Obi Wan caused the injuries. I am imprisoned in this suit of armor because of him."

Her eyes widened. Obi Wan was responsible for hurting Vader?

"He cut off my legs and one of my arms. Then he left me to die, screaming in agonizing pain."

Vader rose from his chair and walked over to Padme. She had retreated to the couch after she finished her cake. He sat down next to her and cleared his throat.

"Tomorrow, we will go to the place where he left me to die. Then you will understand the pain and suffering he has caused me. Actually, you see with your own eyes the suffering he has caused the galaxy," Vader continued. He was telling Padme the truth, from a certain point of view.

"I don't understand," a puzzled look came across Padme's face.

"Padme, I was planning on assassinating Emperor Palpatine."

"Assassinating? But I thought..."

Vader raised his hand to silence the girl. Padme was shocked. This was certainly not part of her history lessons!

"I told Pad... Senator Amidala of my plans. But she was frightened by the thought of anyone trying to kill Palpatine. They were both senators from Naboo. I was about to convince her to go along with my plan, but then Obi Wan stepped out of her ship. We started arguing, then fighting."

Padme could feel the wave of anger coming from Vader. She almost jumped when he placed his hand in hers.

"I don't want you to get hurt by him, like he hurt me. You are too young to be suffering like I am now," Vader mentioned, feigning concern for her.

"Why are you worried about me being hurt by a 'dead Jedi'?" Padme argued. The Emperor had to think quick. The girl was very smart.

"Who was there to stop the blaster bolts from killing you this morning?" he asked, now squeezing her hand.

"You were," Padme uttered, now worried by the intensity of Vader's anger.

"Who was there to kill the Stormtrooper who wanted to rape you?"

"You were." she whispered. Padme closed her eyes, wishing she was someplace else.

"Where was Obi Wan?" Vader demanded. She did not want to respond.

"Where was he?" he screamed. Padme forced herself away from the couch. She turned her back on Vader, trying her best to calm her nerves down.

"If Obi Wan is such a horrible person," Padme snapped, turning back to face Vader. "Then why would he tell me to go downstairs and face you? To do as you say, to answer your questions?"

"That is a question I would like answered myself. Because if I was in his position..." Vader drew closer to Padme. "I would never have put you in danger."

Padme would have responded back in Obi Wan's defense, but a knock came on the door. As Vader went to open it, she was glad for the break in their heated conversation.

"There is a matter I must address. You may use my library and the Holonet to entertain yourself. I will bring you a change of clothes so that so you can shower and get ready for bed." Vader stormed out of the room, and Padme breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Padme muttered to herself.


	10. Chapter 10

Padme browsed through the books in Vader's library. Most of them were propaganda books about the Empire.

"I don't have the strength to deal with this!" she moaned to herself.

"You do not give yourself enough credit, Padme," she heard Obi Wan say.

"Is it true, Obi Wan? Did you injure Vader? Or is he lying? Please tell me he is lying!"

"He is telling the truth, as least the parts he wants to tell. He wants you angry at me."

"But why? Because of you, I am in this mess!"

"No, Padme. Do not be like Vader. I did tell you to go downstairs, but ultimately it was yours choice. Just like it was Leia's choice to keep you hidden. You made the right choice, but she did not."

"I'm sure she would love for you to say that to her," Padme grunted angrily.

"No, she was not pleased when I said that to her..."

"You talked with Leia?" Padme gasped. "Is she okay? I talked with her briefly before..."

"She is fine, young one. Worried sick about you, but she is okay. She has contacted your father and your uncle to help devise a plan to get you back."

"My uncle? Leia never mentioned that she had a brother. Great, another family member she kept secret!"

"I know, but it was your uncle that did not want the galaxy to know. To everyone else, they are just good friends. Padme, I am sure you have studied his accomplishments in history. He shares the same last name as your mother's father. He also grew up on Tatooine, just like you."

"Luke Skywalker?" Padme uttered in shock. "The man who blew up the First Death Star?"

"Yes. Luke is your uncle. You have not met him before because he has been rebuilding the Jedi order. But when he found out about you, he had the biggest smile on his face."

"Padme, you will be arriving at Mustafar tomorrow. Vader will bring you into his castle. By then, you will know the complete truth about your family. I will not able to communicate with you, since the planet has a strong Dark Side presence. You will tempted by the Dark Side, Padme. You must choose to resist it. You must choose to love, and to forgive. If you do, Vader will have no choice but to do the same."

"He is full of anger, Obi Wan. There is no forgiveness in his heart. He is just keeping me alive to get back at Leia. For what reason, I still do not understand."

"I thought once like you. That Vader was irredeemable. Especially after the suffering he and Darth Sidious caused. But he did kill Sidious, and saved Luke's life."

"How did he save Luke's life?"

"That is a story I will have Luke tell you, when he sees you"

"If I ever see him..."

"Trust in the Force, Padme. It runs strong in your family. You are not the only one looking for answers." Obi Wan paused, waiting for Padme to react.

"Vader," she whispered. "He had me give a DNA sample. Why would he do that?"

"Search your feelings, Padme..."

"Why can't you just tell me? Why is everything a big secret in my family..." Padme stopped speaking. The Force flowed through her, and she had a realization.

"He knows I'm Leia's daughter!" she exclaimed. "But he wants actual proof. Oh Obi Wan, what do I do?"

"Trust in the Force. You are right. Vader wants proof that you are Leia's child."

"So that he can exact his revenge against her. I have to leave!"

"No, Padme! You cannot run from Vader. If you do..."

"He will kill me anyway, whether I run or not!' Padme screamed in fright. "He is going to use me to hurt Leia, Han and Luke, until all of us are killed!"

"You are talking in fear. You know where fear leads to."

"The Dark Side. But I am afraid, Obi Wan. I don't want anyone in my family to die!"

"Then you will be making the same mistake as Vader. Do not follow in his footsteps. May the Force be with you, Padme."

Just like that, Obi Wan disappeared. Padme did her best to calm herself. Vader knew, or at least suspected, her parentage. Whether it was because she had lived with Leia, or if it was because he found out via the mind probe, she did not know.

"I need to distract myself from this nightmare," she told herself. She sat down by the big screen TV and surfed the Holonet. Padme decided to learn more about her family. She typed in Han Solo, and saw his bio. He had a very high price for his capture. Padme knew from history that he helped with the destruction of the First Death Star.

"I see why Leia fell for him," Padme thought, as she saw a picture of him when he was in his early thirties. "He is handsome, for a scruffy looking guy."

She searched through more data about Han, until she saw one picture of him, Leia and another young man. She saw a Wookiee near her father. That was mostly like Chewbacca.

"Rebellion leader Princess Leia Organa awards medal of honor to Han Solo and Luke Skywalker for the destruction of many lives on the Death Star," Padme read the description out loud. "Leave it to the Empire to spin history their way."

She stared at the picture for a long time. Both Luke and Leia were short, so she guessed she got her height from Han. She had Leia's brown hair and Luke's blue eyes. They looked so young back then! Padme saw the year of the photo. Leia and Luke were only nineteen at the time of the photo. There were only three years older than Padme was at this time.

"I hope I can get see nineteen," Padme uttered sadly to herself. All she wanted to know was about her family. Now she knew, but they were paying the price for it. Something had to be done. Obi Wan was right. If she kept giving into fear, it would only lead her to the Dark Side. And that is what Vader wanted.

She scrolled further down, and saw a picture of the Millennium Falcon. She read the note about how it was a myth about it making the Kessel Run at all, and all the battles it had been involved with against the Empire.

Suddenly, Padme stood up from the chair. She felt her mother's presence! But where? She looked at the TV channel that filmed out in space. At first, she didn't see anything. Then she closed her eyes, and used the Force.

It was coming! The Millennium Falcon was coming! Leia was on the ship, presumably with Han and Chewbacca. Padme sensed another person there, one strong with the Force.

"Luke," she said quietly. She almost fell backwards when a male voice responded back to her.

"Hello, Padme. Don't be afraid."


	11. Chapter 11

"Luke? Is that really you?" Padme gasped in shock.

"Padme!" Leia screamed with joy. "We are coming as fast as we can!" There was silence for a minute before Luke said,

"Padme, you won't be able to communicate with Han, since he is not Force sensitive. But he wants you to know that he loves you, sweetheart."

"He said those exact words himself," Leia added.

Padme thought for a moment, then said with a smile,

"I know." There was silence again.

"Hello?" Padme cried, afraid that the connection was lost.

"Sorry, Padme. We all busted out laughing when you said that. Chewy said you are definitely Han's daughter," Luke explained to her.

"Oh," was all Padme could say. "How far away are you?"

"Well if R2D2 can get the hyperdrive fixed, you will see us in a few minutes." They were planning on sneaking into the Star Destroyer to rescue Padme.

"Really? But how are you going to avoid being detected..." The last word slowly spilled out of her mouth. She thought to herself, "On no!"

"Don't come any closer!" Padme warned them. "The ship has a tracking beam in the rear!"

"In the rear? Since when?" Leia asked, not being as knowledgeable about ship as Han. "Honey, are you sure?"

"As sure as when I felt Vader's presence this morning."

"Chewy, tell R2D2 to stop the repair of the ...agh!"

Padme was about to ask what happened, but she already knew. The Millennium Falcon was now in sight, and approaching quickly.

"No!" the girl screamed in her mind. She had to do something, but what? Then she visualized the station where the tracking beams were being controlled. Two officers were raising the handles. One handle controlled the tracking beam at the front end of the ship, the other the rear end. Padme reached out with both hands, as if she was there, at the station. She held them steady.

At the station, the two men were in awe, and then terrified, as their hands were not allowed to move the handles to activate the tracking beams. A quick flash sped past the Star Destroyer. It was the Millennium Falcon, and Padme was both relieved and saddened about it.

Down at the station, the two officers were approached by Vader. He questioned them as to why the beams were not activated.

"Emperor, we don't know. We tried to activate but..." one of them stammered, shaking in fear.

"But it was as though something was on our hands, stopping us from moving the handle," the other exclaimed. Vader motioned for the Stormtroopers to seize the officers. He knew what happened.

"Bring the girl down her," he barked. His teeth were clenched in frustration. Padme had to now be taught a lesson.

"Padme, what happened?" Leia asked. "We should have been pulled into the tracking beam!"

She did not want to answer her mother, but she did not have to. Luke spoke for her, with pride in his tone,

"She used the Force to stop the tracking beams from activating. If she did not do this, we would have been caught."

"Be careful!" Leia pleaded with her. "If Vader finds out what you did..."

The door opened, and two Stormtroopers entered. They had their blasters pointed at Padme.

"The Emperor wants to see you downstairs in the main area of the ship," one of the soldiers demanded.

"He already knows," Padme thought in dejection. She was forced by the Stormtroopers out of Vader's quarters and down to the main area of the ship. For her family's sake, she did not continue to communicate with them. Although she could hear Leia panic hysterically and Luke doing his best to calm her down.

Padme was brought before Vader. She tried to remain calm as she avoided his gaze. Then she saw them, the two officers who were suppose to activate the tracking beams. They were detained by Stormtroopers, who forced them to kneel before Vader.

"Captains, I gave you clear instructions to activate the tracking beams," Vader said with malice in his tone. Then Padme saw it light up. Vader's lightsaber. The eyes of the two men were full of fear.

The Emperor turned around and extended his hand towards Padme. She tried taking a step back, but she was frozen in place. There was nothing she could do to help the poor men. They were going to die, and it was her fault.

She went to confess what she did, but it was too late. Vader commanded that the captain hold on their right hands. As soon as they did, Vader quickly used his weapon to cut off both of their hands. Padme did her best to not scream out in horror.

"The next time you disobey a direct order, you will lose more than your hands! Take them to the medical ward immediately!" Vader growled. As they were escorted away, he turned to face Padme.

"Carry on," he commanded the rest of his crew. He unfroze Padme, and dragged her back with him to his private quarters.

He said nothing as they made their way past various officers and Stormtroopers. Padme knew the quiet would not last long. When they arrived back, Vader showed her forward, and she tumbled to the ground.

"Get up!" he screamed angrily. She rose to her feet.

"How dare you interfere with the operations of my ship!" Vader hissed, his fist clenched tightly.

"I was not going to let you harm them," Padme whispered. doing her best to not be afraid. But she was, and Vader knew it.

"You meant to say 'I was not going to let you harm my family', correct?" Vader responded.

"No, that's not true!"

"Don't lie to me, Padme! I saw the entire conversation, or rather heated argument, between you and Leia. She told you she was your mother, and Han Solo was your father, right?"

Padme did not want to respond back. Although she already knew that Vader knew, hearing him say the words out loud caused her to tremble.

"Your lack of protest gives me the confirmation I need. But since your mother has a history of lying, especially to me, I ordered the doctor to give you the midichlorian and DNA test," Vader smoothly explained.

"Then what happens?" Padme asked. She did not want to know, but she needed to prepare herself.

"What do you think happens?"

"I don't know..."

"You are a smart girl. Strong in the Force. But you are becoming too much of a danger to everyone."

"So you are going to kill me?"

"No. You will remain as my prisoner. Locked away in my castle. Away from your home, and especially away from your family!"

"No! You can't do this! This is not right!"

"I can and I will. But since you are afraid of being alone, you will have someone with you, at all times. Would you like to guess who that person is, Padme?"

She shook her head in disbelief. This truly was becoming the worst day ever for her!

"You are staring at him," Vader added, an evil smirk hidden from view.


	12. Chapter 12

Padme did not know what to say. She had suspected what Vader's plan was for her, but did not have proof of it, until now. She quaked in his presence.

"What if the test shows I'm not their daughter? Will you let me go?" she bravely asked.

"That will not happen, and both of us know it," Vader responded. Padme was Han and Leia's child, and even if she could get her hands on the test to change it, Vader would know about it.

"How can you be my guardian if you are running the Empire?"

"The Empire is a well run organization. I choose to be a hands on leader, I don't need to be."

The girl's stomach churned. It was one thing to be in Vader's presence for the little time she had been captured, but to be with him every day...

"No!" Padme growled, the hate beginning to swell up in her. "Kill me now. I refuse to be your slave!"

The Emperor was taken aback by her declaration. She would rather die than be around him! Her saying this should have caused him great joy. But it didn't. It caused him great sadness.

"You are speaking irrationally..."

"Am I? I wish I never would have been born!" Padme screamed, turning her back on Vader.

"You do not mean that, Padme. It was a good thing that you were born," Vader softly said. "You made Leia very happy. Which is difficult to do in a time of war."

He approached the girl, and she turned around to face him.

"Your father loves you, too. In his own unique way. And your uncle, he is very proud of you."

"How do you know this?" Padme asked.

"I heard the entire conversation between you, Luke and Leia."

"So you knew? You knew...?"

"Yes. I knew it was you who stopped the tracking beams from being deployed."

"And you still cut off their hands," she exclaimed incredulously.

"It was an act of mercy."

"Mercy? Are you kidding me?"

"Disobeying a direct order from the Emperor is an immediate death sentence."

"Why? Why didn't you kill them?"

"Because I knew it would upset you!" Vader suddenly shouted. Padme did not expect to hear that answer from him.

"You have had a long day. Go take your shower and get ready for bed," he added. Padme did not move.

"GO!" he angrily yelled, pointing in the direction she should go in. She grabbed the towels and pajamas that laid on the table, and quickly left the room. A Stormtrooper led her to the nearest bathroom.

Vader leaned against his meditation chamber. He left his heart was about to come out of his chest. He had been too hard on Padme. Of course, she would want to protect her family! She was frightened of him, scared of what he may do to her. But other than gruffly grabbing her at moments, he did not harm her. Why could she not understand? Her destiny lies with him. He did not want to hurt her any further. But he was now stuck. He felt the anger slowly boil in her. He knew that anger all too well. The anger that led him to the Dark side.

When he first captured Padme, that was Vader's plan. Reveal to the girl that he was her grandfather, and have her turn to the Dark side, to use her against her parents and her uncle. But something had happened. Vader had compassion for her. Not because of how he could use her, or for her Force abilities. There was only one reason he could think of.

Padme was a lot like him. Not Darth Vader, but Anikin Skywalker. He understood how she felt, being torn away from the only parent she ever knew. He knew her fear of using her Force powers. He understood how lonely she felt, wondering what happened to her family, hoping that they were still alive. Now he saw how far Padme would go to protect the ones she loved from dying.

"No! You are dead!" Vader screamed. "You caused too much pain and suffering to everyone around you! That is why you are alone, trapped in this cursed armor. You are to blame for everything, including the imprisonment of this granddaughter of yours. You lost everything and everyone! Your wife, your children, your best friend..."

Vader held his head in his hands. The struggle was now on. Would he succumb deeper into darkness? Or would he finally choose the Light? But it was too late for him, he thought. That is what he had told Luke before he was brought before Sidious. Luke chose to love his father and forgave him. But because of fear, Vader rejected Luke when Luke refused to rule the galaxy with him. And Leia? She hated Vader then, and hates him now.

Then came Padme. This sweet, innocent and powerful Force user who was most likely his granddaughter. He was making the same mistake again, trying to force the one he loves to see this his way, to do what he wanted them to do.

He loves her. Vader loves Padme. It was a shock to him that he could even say the words to his mind, much less feel them. He loves Padme Shmi Desertwar or... Padme Shmi Organa-Solo, as he visualized what was written on her actual birth certificate.

"I wish I would have known you from before," Vader uttered to himself, as he prepared to enter his meditation chamber. "But you would still hate me, for who I am. I must meditate and decide what to do next." He sat down and waited for the top to be lowered down, so that he would be stripped of everything. Except for his heart.

Padme was not aware of Vader's dilemma. She was dealing with her own crisis of conscious. As she stepped into the shower, she allowed the tears to flow down her face. The dam of emotions swelled up in her. She meditated as she washed herself.

There was a small bench in the shower, and Padme decided to sit on it. She let the warm water run, even though she had finished showering. She started to breath in and out, taking slow, deep breaths.

"I need guidance. I need to know how to save my family from Vader," she said to herself, as she continued to breath.

"He will not stop until they are dead. They will not stop until they rescue me. And I am caught in the middle. There has to be a way to end this destructive conflict, once and for all."

She could feel the Dark side flowing in her. She thought back to what Obi Wan had said about being tempted.

"I have no choice, Obi Wan. I must submit to Vader and surrender to the Dark side. It is the only way to protect my family. When I fall, they will not want anything to do with me. But they will be safe from Vader. He will be more focused on training me, his new apprentice, than trying to track them down. He wants my power, he wants me by his side. I have to make this sacrifice, for my family."

"I cannot tell anyone this. My family will be safe and far away. Then I will pledge myself to Vader, and I will be his."

Padme stood up and turned the shower off. She dried her hair, put on her pajamas and made her way back to Vader's quarters.

She was concerned he would find out about her plan, but he was still in the meditation chamber when she entered the room. Padme was determined to prove herself to Vader. He could have killed her immediately, especially after finding out who her parents are. But he did not. Vader could not have been Emperor for the past sixteen plus years without being shrewd. To be the master over the person with the third highest midichlorian count in the galaxy was too irresistible to him. He had won. Vader had Padme exactly where he wanted her.


	13. Chapter 13

Padme's depressing thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the meditation chamber opening up. Vader stepped out. Now that she had decided what to do, she was not afraid of him.

"Come over here," Vader told her. Padme was surprised. Did he know of her plan? She relaxed when he said,

"Let's go the TV screen. A certain captain is trying to contact us on a private channel."

"No," Padme thought to herself, knowing who the captain was. "Please don't!"

Vader knew her thought and asked out loud,

"Don't you want to speak to your parents?" She showed no emotion when he said this. He would have questioned her further, but a familiar person came on the screen.

Padme gasped. She heard a Wookiee making noise, and a man sitting next to him. The man had brown hair that was starting to turn gray. He saw Padme and smiled.

"Hi there, sweetheart," she heard Han Solo say to her.

"Hi...uh," Padme stammered, not sure how she should address him.

"It's okay. You can call me Han."

"Han." She reached out to touch the screen. Han's eyes widened when he felt a strange sensation against his cheek.

"Don't be afraid. I'm just touching your cheek," his daughter explained.

Han swallowed his throat and said,

"I will never understand the ways of the Force. But I do know this one thing. I love you, Padme."

"I know." Chewbacca made some noises that Padme could not understand.

"Okay!" Han uttered. To Padme, he said,

"Chewy says you are very beautiful, and he is going to play with your hair when he sees you."

"If I let him," Padme teased, feeling a little more relaxed. Well, as relaxed as she could be with Vader standing next to her.

"Who are you talking to, Han..." Leia asked, before she saw the TV screen. It had been less than 24 hours since Padme was taken from home, but it seemed like an eternity. She thought her eyes were deceiving her, because she saw her daughter on the screen.

"Padme?" Leia cried out. "Is that you?"

"Yes," her daughter replied, happy to see her mother.

"Padme! Thank the Maker! But how..."

"Don't question, sweetheart. Just talk to our daughter," Han replied to her. He did not understand why Vader had contacted them, to set up the video chat. But to see his baby girl, the one he thought was dead, was worth any price he may have to pay later on.

"Are you all right?" Leia asked her daughter, full of both joy and concern. "You stopped talking to us. We were worried! What happened?"

Vader interjected himself into the conversation.

"Let's just say she witnessed someone losing their hands," he calmly said.

Leia's face grew pale. If Vader had...

"I am fine," Padme chimed in, holding both of her hands up for her mother to see. Leia breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not a word about who I am to Padme. Not yet," Vader warned Leia through the Force.

"I am glad to hear that," Leia said to Padme. She would give anything, even her very life, to trade places with her daughter right now.

"What is going on over here?" Padme heard another male voice say. He came on the screen. He gazed at the screen. She could tell by his dark sandy colored hair that he was her uncle.

"Hello, Padme. We meet at last," Luke Skywalker greeted his niece.

"Hello, Luke," Padme responded. It was overwhelming. This morning, she had no family, and now, she had her family on the TV, smiling at her.

"Not a word about me, my son," Vader told Luke through the Force. Luke nodded his head in agreement. To his niece, he said,

"You have had an adventurous day, to say the least." He studied the girl. She was definitely Han & Leia's daughter. He drew closer to the screen. He gazed at her and saw her eyes. She had Anikin's eyes.

Luke did not say anything for a moment. Padme and Vader looked at each other, curious as to why he was silent.

Luke finally said, with a serious expression on his face,

"Padme, what you are thinking of doing is out of fear. Don't do it. Do not make the same mistake as..." He bit his lip, wondering if he had said too much.

"The same mistake as who?" Padme questioned nervously. Luke was about to respond, but it was Vader who uttered the words.

"Do not mistake the same mistake as your grandfather, Anikin Skywalker." he said solemnly. Padme faced the Emperor. Why would he say such a thing to her?

"What mistake did he made?"

"He let his anger and fear of losing the ones he loved drive him to the Dark side," Vader explained. "He thought the power of the Dark side would protect them, but instead..." He paused, regretting the years he had been apart from Luke and Leia. " He lost the people he cared about."

Before the girl could ask how Vader knew this, Luke spoke up.

"Padme, look at me. You will be fine. It is okay to be afraid. But do not let fear determine the choices you make. Believe me, I understand what you are going through. The Force runs strong in my family. My father has it, I have it, my sister has it. You have that power, too. Let the Force guide you," her uncle said to her.

Padme could not bear it any longer. She turned away and ran to the couch. She flopped herself on it, and began to bawl.

As she was overwhelmed by what Luke had said to her, Vader said to the adults,

"I have sent you the time we will be landing on Mustafar. Will you make it on time?"

"We will be there," Han insisted. "I still have a bad feeling about this..."

"Han," Leia said, placing her hand on his shoulder to silence him. The mere fact that Vader was allowing them to see Padme brought joy to her heart.

"Padme needs to get some rest," Luke added.

"I agree," Vader replied. "We will see you tomorrow." He turned off the video call. It was overwhelming to see Luke again, after all these years. But it was nothing in comparison to what the girl on his couch was feeling.

The Emperor approached Padme. He did not know what to say to comfort her. He realized that words would not do in this situation.

Vader took his hand and placed it on the side of Padme's head. She thought he was going to mind probe her, but he didn't. To her surprise, she felt his hand gently caress her cheek, to wipe her eyes away. She was strangely comforted by his touch.

"Go to sleep, Padme," he told her, as he moved his hand away. He headed to the meditation chamber. He stopped when he heard her call out to him.

"Lord Vader?" Padme said softly.

"Yes, Padme?" He turned around to face her. She smiled and said,

"Thank you for the birthday gift."

"You are welcome." He went into the chamber. Padme laid her hand down and fell fast asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

As Padme slept, she found herself dreaming of a meadow. The sun was shining, and a warm breeze flowed softly through her hair. The place was unfamiliar to her, but she liked it. She began walking towards a male figure that was ahead of her. She cautiously approached the man, who had dark blond shoulder length air.

"Luke?" she cried out, assuming that the man was her uncle. The man turned around to face her. It was not him.

"No, I'm not Luke. But I know him, and Leia, and you," the stranger spoke gently to Padme. She bravely came closer and saw his eyes. He had blue eyes, just like her.

"Anikin?" she gasped, part curious and part frightened.

"Yes, it's me, Padme," Anikin replied. She was shocked to see her grandfather in her dream. She did not know what to say to him.

"Padme, please do not made the same mistake I made," Anikin pleaded with her. "Turning to the Dark side will not keep your family safe."

"But I can't just stand by and watch Vader use me to destroy them! He is too strong. I can't fight him!"

"But you can love him."

"Love him? Love Vader? There's no way... Do you know what he has done to my family?"

Without warning, Anikin stepped in front of Padme. She was now frightened, because he was towering over her.

"It is the only way. If you love him, he will become the man he should have been years ago."

"I can't!" Padme argued. "What you are asking for is too hard."

"You are a lot like Leia. She also struggles to forgive. Maybe that is why the Force allowed this to happen. So that the Skywalker family can be made whole again."

"Anikin, I can't..."

The tears were falling down Padme's face. He took his hand and began to wipe them away.

Padme's eyes widened. Anikin's touch. He touched her... or was it Vader? She stepped away from him, with a shocked look on her face.

"Padme, are you all right?" She looked at her grandfather. She wanted to say something, but the words would not come out. She began to breathe heavily.

"Talk to me," Anikin urged her. Padme closed her eyes, and the Force flowed freely through her body.

"The Force is strong in my family. I have it, my mother has it, my uncle has it, and..." She paused. She opened her eyes, boldly stared at Anikin and said.

"My grandfather has it."

"You meant to say had, not has. I'm dead, Padme."

"No. You're not dead. You are alive, whether Vader wants you to be or not. Because if he were to die... you would die too, right?"

Anikin took a step back from his granddaughter. She knew! But how...

"When you wiped my tears away, that's when I knew that Anikin Skywalker and Darth Vader are the same person," Padme explained, knowing his thought. He looked away, ashamed that he revealed the secret to her. He wanted her parents and Luke to be there when the truth came out, so that they could comfort her.

"Please don't be made at yourself," Padme spoke sweetly to her, as she walked over to face him. "Now that I know, it makes my decision to stay easier for me."

"No! You are not staying. Vader is taking you to Mustafar. Not to imprison you, but to set you free."

"What? That is not true! He just told...I mean, you just told me I was going to be your prisoner."

"I was afraid of losing you. I should not have said that. I'm sorry." Padme looked at her grandfather's sad face. She drew close and embraced him. He nervously embraced her back.

"You are not afraid of me?" he asked, tears streaking down his face.

"Not anymore, Grandfather," Padme whispered, as she stared at him. Her surroundings faded away. The next thing she knew, she was rising up from the couch. Her grandfather was still in the meditation chamber. She decided to go on the Holonet to look up information about him. She was doing a report on him anyway for history class.

She heard the meditation chamber open up. Vader stepped out. She could sense he had not gotten much sleep. He walked over to where she was sitting, and saw the person she was researching about.

"Please do not be angry," she said to him. "I was just curious..."

"About your grandfather," Vader replied, finishing her sentence. To Padme's amazement, she was in his mind, reading his thoughts!

"I want to tell you the truth, Padme," Vader thought sadly. "But I can't. Not without your parents or uncle around. Once the truth comes out, I am letting you go. You deserve a life of happiness, far away from me."

"You need to go get dressed," he said out loud to her. "Soon, we will arrive to Mustafar, to see your family."

"Really?" Padme exclaimed in excitement. She already knew this, but she wanted to know if her grandfather knew that she knew.

"Yes, you will get to see them."

"I am... shocked. I do not know what else to say but thank you."

"Before you go get dressed, I have a couple of things to give back to you." Vader walked over to his library, and grabbed a wooden box. He lifted the lid and told Padme,

"Reach inside. You will need this back."

Tentatively, she obeyed. She felt a familiar object, and slowly pulled it out. It was Anikin's lightsaber! The meaning of this did not pass her by.

"Are you sure I can keep this?" she gasped.

"Yes. It was your grandfather's lightsaber. He would want you to have it. Just make sure you keep it with you at all times."

Vader put the box down on the table, and put his hand inside of it. Padme smiled as he pulled out the locket Leia had given her, the locket with the pictures of Padme Amidala and Shmi Skywalker in it.

"May I?" he asked, as his hand trembled. Padme nodded, and he gently put the necklace on her.

"I am going to miss you, Padme," he said to himself, as he pulled away from her. He cleared his throat and said to her,

"Now go get dressed, and that's an order." He did not say it with malice, but with tenderness.

"Yes, Lord Vader," she replied back, taking the clothes she was going to wear and the lightsaber in her arms.

"I am going to go see the doctor about the DNA test results. The truth will come out, Padme. When you are finished getting dressed, come back here and wait for me."

Padme nodded in agreement before she walked out of his quarters to the closest bathroom. As she changed into the off the shoulder black lacy dress, she was amazed. She was finally able to read Vader's thoughts. What was even more amazing was that he did not know she could read his mind.

She took her time getting dressed, wanting to look her best. It wasn't everyday a girl met her father and uncle for the first time. She practically skipped out of the bathroom and headed back to her grandfather's private quarters.


	15. Chapter 15

Vader headed to the medical ward. At last, the test results were in. As he turned the corner, he almost tripped over something. But it wasn't something, it was a dead Stormtrooper.

As he entered, Vader's eyes widened. Two more bodies laid on the ground. They were the doctor's medical assistants.

"What is going on?" he thought to himself.

At the same time, Padme was walking around the meditation chamber. Suddenly, she felt a dark presence. It was not Vader. She did not know who it was, but she knew it was heading towards her.

"I need to hide!" she thought nervously. She positioned herself behind the chamber so that whoever walked in would not be able to see her. Padme heard footsteps come into the room. She breathed quietly, not wanting to make a sound.

"Padme!" Vader immediately said. "She's in danger!"

"Lord Vader, someone is in the room!" Padme called out to her grandfather through the Force. Vader bolted from the medical ward and ran as fast as he could.

"Do they see you?" Vader asked, hoping she was safely hidden.

"No. I'm hiding behind the meditation chamber. But if he starts walking around... Oh no!'

"Padme, what is it?"

"I forgot my lightsaber in the bathroom!"

"Don't panic. I am almost there. Can you see who is in the room with you?"

"I don't have to see. I know who it is. It's the doctor."

Vader's heart sank. It must have been the doctor, Skeet Shipshooter, that killed the Stormtrooper and the medical assistants. He took a deep breath as he entered his quarters.

"Doctor, I thought I told you...aagh!" Vader suddenly moaned in pain.

"Good morning to you too, Emperor. Or should I say fallen Jedi Knight Anikin Skywalker?" Dr. Shipshooter greeted him, holding a box in his hand. Vader tried to approach him, but he was shocked again.

"Padme, listen carefully to me," he non-verbally said to her. "You need to escape somehow." Another shock went through his body.

"I was curious as to why you were asking for DNA tests on a lowly teenager girl. She is a beautiful girl, isn't she?"

"It is none of your business who I wanted tested, Doctor!" Vader growled, before getting shocked again. Padme was panicking. There was no way for her to escape without the doctor seeing her.

"She is beautiful like her mother, tall like her father, with blue eyes like yours, her bastard of a grandfather!" Dr. Shipshooter yelled, continuing to shock the Emperor. He tried to ignite his lightsaber, but it flew out of his hands, towards the area Padme was hiding in.

"I'm sorry, Padme. This is not how I wanted you to find out. You must stay hidden," Vader spoke to her through the Force.

"But I can't! He's hurting you..." she cried through her tears.

"You must. I will not let you die by his hands!" The shocks came quicker. The doctor boldly approached Vader, reveling in the power he had over the Emperor.

"Don't worry, Vader. Only you and I know the truth. The girl will never know. Once I find her, I will sell her to the highest bidder. Oh, the money I can make off of her!" the doctor promised, an evil smirk on his face.

"You will never.." Vader hissed, before feeling another shock. He did not know how much more pain he could take.

"But I will. She will be mine, and there is nothing you can do about it."

The doctor went to press the button to shock Vader again. He was mortified when he saw the box, and his severed hand, fly away. Grimacing in pain, he turned to see the girl, holding Vader's lightsaber in her hands.

"Watch out!" Vader yelled, as Dr. Shipshooter pulled out a blaster. He began firing at Padme, who used the lighsaber to deflect his shots.

"So you were hiding all this time, little girl A vicious one you are, just like your grandfather!" the doctor screamed. He continued to shoot at Padme.

"Get out of here, and leave us alone!" Padme yelled, trying her best not to attack the doctor. But he chased her around the room.

Vader was able to make it to the meditation chamber. The shocks kept coming. Although the box was knocked away from the doctor, the button on it was pressed down, continuing to shock Vader.

Dr. Shipshooter had Padme backed up in the corner of the room. He shot at her leg, and she crumbled to the floor in pain. The madman grabbed her weapon and threw it across the room.

"I will deal with you in a moment," he taunted her, as he showed her the inside of his jacket. In his inner pocket was a syringe. Padme was terrified.

"Don't move, or I will blow your head off!" the doctor threatened. He turned his attention to Vader, who was leading against the side of the chamber.

"On your knees, Vader!" Dr. Shipshooter commanded.

"Never! I bow to no one!" Vader yelled. The doctor shot at his thighs, causing the Emperor to fall to his knees. The blaster wounds and the shocks made Vader grunt in agony.

"That's more like it," the evil man smoothly said. "And now, Emperor Vader, you will die."

The doctor aimed his weapon at the Empeor's head, but the shot was never fired. Instead, he felt the stinging sensation of a lightsaber go through his body. He looked up and saw it was the girl who had struck him.

Padme was almost as shocked as the evil doctor at what she did. She had quietly went around the meditation chamber, grabbed Vader's lightsaber, and darted in front of her grandfather. She only wanted to protect Vader, not kill the doctor. But her stab was accurate, and she saw him fall to the floor. She turned off the lightsaber, surprised at what she had done.

Vader gathered enough strength to gently take the lightsaber out of his granddaughter's hand. He ignited it, and walked over to the doctor's body. He gave him a kick, just to make sure he was dead. He could hear Padme grab the box and destroy it.

"He is dead," Vader uttered, as he knelt by the body of the doctor. Then he passed out.

"Grandfather!" Padme screamed in terror, as she raced to his side. She felt his neck for a pulse. It was very faint.

She ran quickly to the big screen and called for help. Within seconds, Stromtroopers and Imperial officers were in the room.

"He needs medical attention!" Padme barked in worry.

"Miss, all the medical staff is dead. We have no one to help him. We can get him to the castle," an officer explained.

"The castle? He needs help now!"

"Captain, we have landed," another officer's voice said over the intercom. A gurney was brought into the room, and Vader was placed on it.

"Go now with the Emperor!" the captain commanded. The Stormtroopers and Padme rushed out of the ship as quickly as possible. They headed outside to the landing area on Mustafar. Padme ignored the fiery scene around her as she followed the Stormtroopers and Vader to the castle.


	16. Chapter 16

"Padme!" she could hear Leia cry out her name. She, along with Han, Luke and Chewbaaca, were there waiting for her. But Padme was more focused on her grandfather.

"He's hurt!" Padme screamed, as she drew closer. "He needs help now!"

Han immediately ran to the castle and banged on the door. When there was no answer, he took out his blaster and opened the door that way.

"Padme..." Leia began to say, trying to hug her daughter. But Padme pushed her away. Leia felt hurt, but she understood.

"Chewy, make sure you have your bowcaster ready!" Han yelled, as he led them into the castle. They were greeted by an older man, wearing a black hooded robe.

"What are you doing, barging in..." the man named Vanee uttered, as he looked over Han's shoulder. He saw the gurney that Vader was on.

"Lord Vader! What happened?" Vanee asked, never seeing the Emperor in such a vulnerable condition.

"He's hurt. He needs medical attention. Can you help him?" Padme begged the old man, as she stepped in front of Han.

"The rejuvenation chamber is down this hall. Follow me."

Everyone followed the old man to the chamber. Vanee helped the Stormtroopers lift Vader off of the gurney.

"You need to step outside now," Vanee commanded Padme and her family.

"No. I am not going anywhere," Padme snapped back.

"Miss, you do not want to see this."

"Chewy?" Padme said, calling out to the Wookiee. He pointed his bowcaster in the old man's direction.

"Fine. You can stay. But you must not approach until he is in the chamber," Vanee said, not wanting to get shot by the Wookiee.

Many hugs were given to Padme by the various members of her family. She tearfully explained what had happened in Vader's quarters. All of them marveled at how calm she was, as she told them about the rest of her time as Vader's prisoner.

"I am glad that you are okay," her mother said, kissing her daughter on the side of her head.

"But my grandfather isn't, is he?" Padme replied, her voice full of sorrow. The others did not respond to her, at first. Finally, Leia asked,

"How did you find out?"

"In a dream," Padme said. "I saw him in a meadow. I thought it Luke at first. But when I turned around, I saw him."

"Saw who?"

"Anikin Skywalker, my grandfather."

Han and Leia gave each other a look before Padme continued.

"He told me to not make the same mistake he made. He asked me to love Vader, for if I did, Vader would become the man he should have been. I argued, and Anikin came over and comforted me. He wiped my tears away. That's when I knew Vader and Anikin were the same person."

"I am so sorry, Padme. I should have told you the truth earlier," Leia said, her voice full of regret. "I should have told you all the truth."

"Leia, we understand why you did what you did," Han interjected. Chewy grunted in agreement.

"But it doesn't make it right. Padme, please forgive me." She bravely touched her daughter's cheek.

"I already have..." Padme whispered, as she stared into Leia's eyes. "Mom."

Leia's heart was full of joy. Padme had called her Mom! She did not deserve the honor, but she nodded her head, tears streaking down her face.

The two women embraced each other tightly. Leia knew it was true that her daughter had forgiven her. Not just by the words she said, but Leia felt it in the Force.

"You may approach now," Vanee told them. "Remember his injuries." he gently squeezed Padme's hand to comfort her before leaving the room.

They approached the chamber. How different her grandfather looked outside of his armor! She saw him gaze at them, his eyes full of sorrow.

"I must go talk to him," Padme said, still trying to recover from the shock of Vader's condition.

"Sweetheart, I don't think you should.." Han said, holding his daughter close to him.

"Let her go, Han," Luke told him. "He wants to speak to her."

"He's right, Han," Leia added.

Han looked at Padme, gave a quick smile, and loosened his grip on her. She made her way over to Vader, trying to fight back tears.

"What is going on?" Han asked, when Padme did not come back right away.

"They are having a private conversation," Luke explained. To Leia, he added,

"She does not want us to listen in."

"Then we won't," Leia responded, now embracing her brother.

"Leia, we already forgave you." Her eyes widened in surprise. "Now you need to forgive our father."

"I can't! He..."

"I know. But you will never be at peace with yourself if you don't."

"I can't even forgive myself, much less Vader! If it wasn't for me..."

"Sweetheart, if it wasn't for you, we would have never known about Padme," Han spoke up. "You brought this precious girl into the galaxy, and into our lives."

"But..." she stuttered in fear.

"Leia, I know you were afraid. But you made the right choice," Luke explained, taking his sister's hand.

"I kept Padme a secret!"

"Not that choice , Leia. The first choice you made, when you found out you were pregnant."

Leia stared at her brother, before weeping. Luke wrapped her in his arms, as she broke down.

Han walked over to them, concerned about her. He still loved his feisty princess, despite her lying to him.

"You kept her alive, even though you were afraid. You made the right choice," Luke assured her, as he continued to hold her.

"I don't understand..." Han uttered in confusion. Chewbacca moaned at him, explaining what Luke meant. This caused Han to shed a tear.

"I'm a horrible mother!" Leia cried. The memories of when she found out she was expecting came flooding back to her. She broke Luke's embrace and drew closer to Han.

"Sweetheart," Han lovingly said, taking her hand.

"I don't deserved to be called that. Not when I almost..." Leia whispered, not able to finish the words. She closed her eyes, full of shame. This time, Han was the one to hug her.

"But you didn't. You kept our daughter alive, and I will forever love you for that."

When Leia heard those words, she cried. Her final secret was out, to all but Padme.

"I can't tell her, she will hate me."

"No, I won't," Leia heard the voice of her daughter call out to her. Padme was still facing Vader.

"Padme..."

"Han is right. You kept me alive, even though you knew the dangers of doing so. I love you, Mom."

The girl slowly turned around and walked towards Leia. But Padme only took a couple of steps. Leia ran to her and gave her the biggest hug.

"I think this family is finally made whole," Han said to Luke, as they watched the two woman embrace. Chewbacca spoke, shaking his head in the negative.

"What do you mean by no?" Han growled at his old friend, giving him a look.

"He's right," Luke explained. "The family is not made whole, not as of yet." Han saw him point in the direction of Vader's chamber.


	17. Chapter 17

Padme and Leia broke their embrace. Vanee approached the family, and addressed Padme.

"Your rooms have been prepared. Stay as long as you like," he told her. "When you leave, please remember that you will always be welcomed here."

"Thank you," Padme said to him.

"I must finish the final details. For the rest of my days, I will faithfully guard this castle, fighting Lord Vader's foes and..." He smiled, making eye contact with each person in the room. "Protecting his family." He bowed his head and left the room.

"Sweetheart, what is he talking about?" Leia asked her daughter. Han, Luke and Chewbacca wanted to know as well. Padme took a deep breath. She needed to tell them the truth.

"He is making preparations for Grandfather's funeral," she softly whispered. Chewy moaned in sympathy. Leia embraced her daughter tightly, and Han and Luke surrounded the two women. No words were exchanged for a few moments.

"He wants to say his final goodbyes," Padme finally said, breaking the silence.

"Oh Maker!" Leia cried, her heart full of sorrow. Chewy squeezed her hand, and left the room.

"Mom, he wants to speak to you and Han first," Padme continued. Han's face had a look of shock on it. He had not been in Vader's presence since the time he was frozen in carbonite. He turned to Leia and said,

"I think he would be honored if we go and talk to him, together." Leia managed a weak smile, before grabbing Han's hand and letting him lead the way towards her dying father. Padme enjoyed seeing them holding hands.

"They still love each other," Luke said to her.

"I know," she replied with a small smile. It was the only joy she felt at that moment. Her uncle embraced her.

"My brave, beautiful niece," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm not brave, I'm scared!" Padme confessed. "I just met him, and now, I am going to lose him!"

"No one is ever really gone. You will not lose him, if you keep him in your memories, and in your heart." Luke knew she would see Anikin again, just not in the flesh. His father had told him to keep it a secret from Padme, just in case it didn't happen.

"You made two miracles happen, Padme. You killed the evil in Darth Vader, and brought back the good in Anikin Skywalker."

She pulled away from her uncle, and replied with conviction,

"I was just finishing what you started." Luke kissed his niece on the forehead, and embraced her again.

"Luke, he wants to speak with you," Leia said to her brother. Her face, though tear streaked, looked peaceful.

"Come, let's check on Chewy," Han told Leia, before they exited the room.

"Go, Luke," Padme said to the Jedi Master. He squeezed her hand, and went to talk to his father.

As the two male Skywalkers were talking, Padme smiled. She had heard the entire conversation between her parents and her grandfather. Leia and Vader finally forgave each other. Her broken family, the one she did not even know about a day ago, was being healed before her eyes.

After a few minutes, she saw everyone come into the room. Vanee and the Stormtroopers approached the chamber, with the gurney.

"No!" Padme cried, the tears streaking down her face. Leia held her, and Luke came over to them.

"Padme, he wants to say goodbye to you in his armor," he explained to her. She solemnly nodded her head.

"I need to do this alone," she told her family. Padme was afraid they would say no, but to her amazement, they all agreed. She left them, and walked over to where Vader laid on the gurney. Vanee and the Stormtroopers stepped aside, to give grandfather and granddaughter their privacy.

"I am so sorry, Padme," Vader spoke to Padme's mind. "You deserved better. I wanted to tell you with your parents and your uncle, but that doctor..."

"It's okay, Vader.." she began to reply back.

"That name means nothing to me anymore. Call me Anikin."

"Oh Anikin!" Padme moaned, desperately trying not to break down.

To her surprise, Anikin raised his hand to her cheek, and stroked it gently. Just like he did last night. She met his gaze, and though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smiling.

"I love you, Padme," Anikin said out loud, using what little force strength he had. She knew what she wanted to do. Padme carefully detached the top half of his helmet, so that she could see his face. Anikin's blue eyes danced. Finally, he was able to see Padme with his own eyes.

"I love you too, Grandfather," she replied, as her hand caressed his scarred cheek. He smiled and said,

"May the Force be with you, Padme," Anikin softly whispered, before closing his eyes and taking his final breath.

Padme threw her head on his chest and wept. Her family came and surrounded her.

" I know he's at peace. But it hurts so much!" the young woman said, finally pulling herself away from her grandfather's body.

"I know," Leia whispered, as she embraced her daughter.

"I guess I would make a horrible Jedi," Padme said to Luke. He replied,

"But you are a wonderful daughter, granddaughter and niece." She nodded her head. The family left the room in mourning.

Anikin Skywalkers' remains were cremated the next day, as per Jedi tradition. As the flames consumed his body, Padme felt the flames of her heart also burn. Gone was the little girl that had been afraid. Now she stood as a young woman, ready to walk into her destiny. What that was, she was not sure. She knew it would have something to do with Force Healing. When she was trying to get medical help for Anikin, she had touched her leg, the one the doctor shot at. The wound and the pain had been instantaneously healed.

After the cremation, the family sat around the dining table. Vanee had brought Anikin's personal items from the Star Destroyer. They were upstairs in Padme's bedroom. Her family was talking to each other. She was picking at her food.

"No!" Padme screamed at the top of her voice. Her parents and Chewy were concerned. Luke's face went pale. They both felt the pain in the Force.

"I need to leave," Luke managed to say, rising from his chair.

"Luke, no! You just got here!" Leia argued with him. Her daughter raised a hand to silence her.

"I felt it too, Luke. Go. May the Force be with you," Padme urged him. Luke quickly said his goodbyes and left the castle.

"Why did he leave?" Han asked. Chewbacca grunted, most likely asking the same question.

"Something horrible happened at the Jedi Temple. One of his students turned to the Dark side. The student killed everyone there."

"There must be something we can do to help him," Leia exclaimed, now worried about her brother's safety.

"We will help him, but not now," Padme explained. "He needs to go and mourn for his students. When the time comes, he will ask us for help."

"Padme is right," Han added. He asked his daughter how she knew about the attack at the Jedi Temple. She sighed sadly over what happened, and proclaimed,

"Because the Force is strong in my family. My grandfather had it, my mother has it..." She paused and gave a smile to Leia. Turning towards the door, she said,

"My uncle has it. I have that power, too." Padme closed her eyes, and began to meditate on the next chapter of her life.


	18. Chapter 18

Padme sat on the bed she had slept in the night before. They were going to fly back to Tatooine today. She had said her goodbyes to Vanee. With his permission, she did a mind wipe on him, so that he would not remember that she and her family were related to Vader.

She heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Padme said. It was her mother. Leia came in, holding a box in her arms.

"It's time to leave." Leia uttered wistfully. "But before we go, Luke asked me to give you this." She approached the bed and handed the box to her daughter.

"Go ahead. Open it," Leia added. Padme slowly opened the box, curious as to what was inside of it. When she saw the contents, she gasped.

" I can't... these belong to you and Luke!" she stammered.

"No, sweetheart. They are yours to keep. Luke has his own, and I have no interest in having one. Besides..."

Padme looked over her mother's shoulder, and saw a familiar face, smiling at her. It was her grandfather, Anikin Skywalker.

"I want you to have both of my lightsabers," he said to his granddaughter. At the same time, Leia told Padme,

"Your grandfather wanted you to have the lightsabers."

Padme flashed a grin to both of them. She grabbed them out of the box. One hand held Anikin's lightsaber, the other held Darth Vader's. She turned both on at the same time.

"May I have a moment by myself before we leave?" Padme asked, as she turned off the lightsabers and put them back in the box.

"Yes," Leia told her. She gently patted her shoulder before leaving the room.

"Anikin, you're a Force Ghost!" Padme exclaimed incredulously.

"I am. I am now one with the Force. Before you leave, there is someone that wants to meet you," Anikin explained to her. Padme was puzzled as an older looking Force Ghost came and stood by Anikin's side.

"Hello there, Padme," the Force Ghost said to her. Padme's eyes widened in surprised and delight.

"Obi Wan!" she shouted, shocked that she got to finally meet the calm voice that spoke to her before Vader kidnapped her.

"But I thought you could not come, because of the dark presence here," she questioned him.

"The dark presence is being lifted off of the planet. Because of you, Padme," Obi Wan explained.

"I don't understand..."

"Padme, every user of the Force has one ability they are specifically gifted in," her grandfather explained. "Obi Wan and I know what your gift is, and I suspect you know it, too."

"Force Healing," she guessed correctly.

"Listen to me," Obi Wan instructed her, "Take the time to mourn for Anikin, and spend some time with your parents. When the time comes, go and join Luke in the fight that is to come. It will take some time, but you will fulfill your destiny. You will use your gift of Force Healing to heal the entire galaxy."

"But how will I know when it will be time to leave? And will my parents even let me?"

"You will know, and your parents will let you go. With many tears, of course," Anikin said. "It will not be an easy path, but if you let the Force guide you, you will fulfill your destiny and bring peace to the entire galaxy."

The Force Ghosts vanished before Padme's eyes.

"Padme! It's time to leave!" she heard Leia calling from downstairs.

"I'm coming, Mom!" Padme shouted back. She grabbed the box with the lightsabers and left the room. What Anikin and Obi Wan had told her was a lot to process, but she knew they were right.

"May the Force be with me," Padme said to herself, as she joined Leia and walked aboard the Millennium Falcon. It was time to leave Mustafar, and head onto the destiny the Force had for her.

 **Author's note: Thank you to everyone who read this story. I can't believe this one story got over 2,000 views! I will start posting soon the sequel, which will be called Secret Lovers.**


End file.
